Hand Shaping Diamond Gemstones Fancy Cut Techniques Training

Learning Outcomes

• Analyse rough diamond characteristics to determine optimal fancy cut shapes.
• Apply marking and bruting techniques to shape diamonds into specified fancy cuts.
• Demonstrate faceting and polishing procedures to achieve precise angles and symmetry.
• Evaluate finished stones against industry quality standards for brilliance and proportion.
• Implement safety protocols for handling and shaping diamond gemstones.
• Design a cutting plan that maximises yield while adhering to fancy cut specifications.

Target Audience

This course is designed for diamond cutters, gemologists, and jewellery artisans seeking to specialise in fancy cut diamond shaping. It is also suitable for apprentices in the diamond industry who have basic lapidary experience.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment.

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

Practical sessions form the core of this course, allowing learners to apply theoretical knowledge to real diamond shaping. Under expert supervision, learners progress from basic sawing and bruting to faceting and polishing a variety of fancy cuts, culminating in a final assessed stone.

Practical Activities

• Foundational Shaping Techniques — Learners practice sawing, cleaving, and bruting on synthetic diamonds and low-grade natural diamonds to develop safe and accurate handling skills. (16h)
• Faceting and Polishing Practice — Learners cut and polish crown and pavilion facets on synthetic stones, starting with simple round brilliants before progressing to fancy shapes. (32h)
• Fancy Cut Shape Mastery — Learners cut a series of fancy cuts (princess, emerald, oval, pear, marquise, heart) on synthetic stones, focusing on shape-specific geometry and facet arrangements. (40h)
• Advanced Techniques and Final Assessment — Learners perform advanced polishing, repair a damaged stone, and complete a full cutting project on a natural diamond for final assessment. (20h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

How it works

• Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
• Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
• You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
• If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates	Discount
5	3% off
10	6% off
15	9% off
20	12% off
25	15% off
30	18% off
50	30% off
75	35% off
100	40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.